Gleason's Sporting World: Smith Jets' best option to run Wildcat

Points to ponder while wondering if the Jets were going to run a little Wildcat this season, you know, on account of them not running any last season.

Kevin Gleason

Points to ponder while wondering if the Jets were going to run a little Wildcat this season, you know, on account of them not running any last season.

Or on the rare occasion when the Jets did run Wildcat in 2012, it looked like something fresh out of a youth football huddle.

So there was head coach Rex Ryan answering the big "W'' question the other day in camp, waxing Wildcat, talking up the immense benefits of mobile quarterbacks in the NFL. There was Coach Wildcat himself, discussing the vast possibilities of the Cat being run by backs and receivers, like he has done anything worthwhile with the formation as Jets' coach.

Hey, maybe the Jets' new quarterbacks coach, David Lee, who helped introduce the Wildcat to the NFL, zooms in and makes something out of the formation this season.

But how? And with whom?

Wouldn't Geno Smith be best suited to run the Wildcat given his combination of mobility, speed and passing ability? And if Smith is the best option at Wildcat, and the Jets want to run Wildcat, isn't Smith the no-brainer choice to be the Jets' starting quarterback?

Or would the Jets dare start Mark Sanchez and use Smith as the Wildcat changeup, as Ryan also alluded to this past week? But where would that leave the Jets if Sanchez continued his struggles and Smith consistently moved the ball in Wildcat formations?

Actually we know where it would lead the Jets. It would lead them into that football quagmire known as the quarterback controversy.

Smith's solid play in camp has made it increasingly apparent that he must be the starting quarterback. The only credible reason for handing Sanchez the No. 1 job would be if he outplayed Smith by a wide margin. Any close competition should go to Smith.

After all, we have seen Sanchez's act in excruciating detail. We have seen his confidence dip, his fundamentals sag, his decision-making bottom. If he isn't overwhelmingly better than Smith in camp, what makes anyone think he's the guy to rally the Jets to playoff contention?

Smith needs to be the guy. He will bring youthful optimism to the huddle and to the fan base. He will give the Jets a better shot with his legs. Smith undoubtedly will make mistakes, because despite the recent success of first-year quarterbacks, mistakes are the norm for rookies. Check out Peyton Manning's first season, when he threw 28 interceptions and had a 71.2 rating, for evidence.

But Smith will bring hope. Sanchez will bring criticism — by fans, by the media and perhaps more quietly by teammates — virtually from the moment that he starts to struggle. We had a front-row seat to the Sanchez soap opera last season. There is no need for a sequel.

If Eagles receiver Riley Cooper isn't a racist, he's just a plain-old idiot.

Listen, I know Riley Cooper about as well as I know Alice Cooper, which is to say not very well. I don't know if he makes a habit of spewing racial epithets, or if a single epithet constitutes a racist. You will find a lot of different people with a lot of different definitions of racism.

I won't pretend to imagine the feelings of blacks upon hearing the word Cooper used while acting like a jerk at a Kenny Chesney concert.

In the end, Cooper's teammates will decide if he's a racist. Eagles ownership and management and fans will decide if he's a racist.

Cooper's football fate lies in the hands of those groups. And if they all decide Cooper's choice of words was an isolated example, that he has no track record to suggest he's a racist, Cooper will be allowed to wear the Eagles uniform again. If not, he will never play another down for the Eagles.

I especially loved our headline the other day, "NCAA to try flexible approach'' to the men's basketball tournament, because it might be the last time we see "NCAA" and "flexible'' on the same line.

I like Kellen Winslow's enthusiasm and confidence, but I would also like him to stay healthy for a few minutes.

Of course too much was made of Drew Brees' $3 tip on a $74 takeout order. Welcome to the wonderful world of social media, where some folks think everything, including restaurant receipts, is fair game to post on the Internet.

Is new Eagles coach Chip Kelly, fresh out of college, having a grand old time yet?

Everyone else OK with baseball suspensions supposedly coming down on Monday, or would you like to see a few more back pages and SportsCenter lead stories featuring Alex Rodriguez?

The story that won't go away might be getting closer to going away.

And that is splendid news for not only the game of baseball, but for the millions of fans who would rather discuss baseball instead of baseball ethics.